Airplanes were meant to fly, Buckle up! We're going to THAI(land)

*Note: the blog post title should be sung to the tune of Starships by my girl Niki Minaj

Friends! Family! Others! This is the story of a girl whose wildest dreams came true all within the span of a week. How may you ask? Well, Let's find out! ;)

First off, let me just say that Thailand has been one of my dream destinations probably since I discovered my obsession with Thai food. Flash back to a year ago when I was trying to decide where I wanted to study. When it came down to it I was choosing between Bangkok and Chennai. So, it was only fair to take a trip & see what I have been missing the past five months.

BANGKOK:

What can I say, I instantly fell in love. The city is a perfect mix of East & West and I felt like I easily blended in with the massive amounts of tourists. The old city was beautiful yet most of the attractions were a bit overpriced. We did go see Wat Po or more popularly known as the Reclining Buddha. Not only was there a giant golden reclining Buddha to see but tons of other Buddha statues and crazy beautiful architecture. For just around 100 Baht it was completely worth it! 
Besides the sight seeing probably the most important thing we did in Bangkok was EAT. Since we were on a budget we mostly ate street food which was more often a hit than a miss. Street food ranges in prices but most everything fell in between 10 to 60 Baht. Pad Thai  (my favorite dish in the world) lived up to it's expectations along with basically every other Thai food I tried. The Thai iced coffee and iced tea were absolutely amazing and cheap... if you go you must give them a try! Also, while in Thailand I consumed the spiciest food I have ever eaten. I was a bit cocky and ignored the cook's warnings as I continued to spoon more on to my plate to the point where my rice was drowning. 

The following picture is the results of my ignorance:

Yup, pretty unattractive. Tears were literally rolling out of my eyes. So congrats Thailand, you got the best of me here.

Fortunately a few moments after this picture was taken, I was saved by the cook's guilt/sense of humor as she brought me over a nice and mild soup (while trying to control her laughter). 

One of the 7 Pad Thai's I ate during the week!

Stay tuned next time where you will hear about more food, elephants, and beaches. Oh lala!

xoxo

One Last Excursion

Well I've been away for awhile which you all should take is a very good sign. I've been so busy living my life that blogging didn't feel like a huge priority. Well, now I have a mug of tea and some free time so let the catch up commence!

What you have missed (the extremely short & summed up version): 

1. KERALA

For our last excursion we traveled to Tamil Nadu's neighboring state of Kerala. Kerala is located on the west coast and my God, it is incredibly beautiful! Highlights of the trip to be honest were doing absolutely nothing. This excursion was truly about being on vacation, and hey... I'm not complaining! Sure we saw some palaces, temples, & other historic mumbo jumbo but two days at the beach made me an incredibly happy person! Kerala is known for their oil massages so I found the cheapest one I could and had it done.

Note to self/other travelers: that was a mistake.
It was my first massage ever so I had no idea what to expect. However, I certainly did not think that I would be forced to strip down right in front of the guy who was massaging me! Also, not to mention that he was talking to me the entire time, it was pretty awkward. So, I have heard that these massages are good maybe it is a better idea to splurge for something a little more expensive.

At a beautiful beach in Kerala

Admiring the sun set

2 .  KANYAKUMARI:

After spending a few days in Kerala, we headed down south to Kanyakumari which is actually a part of Tamil Nadu. What is Kanyakumari known for? Well first off, it lies on the southern most tip of India and is the spot where all three oceans come together (bay of Bengal, Indian ocean, and the Arabian sea). Secondly, it is a hugely historical spot in terms on ancient India. The ocean thing made it a cool enough place in my opinion, but all in all it was a good time. :)

Pointing to all three oceans!

Sari, Not Sorry

Well, I'm significantly behind on life updates.

Here is a picture of me in a red sari which was a gift from some of the teachers of the Village of Pudupkkam. I think it is the greatest gift I have ever gotten and I was welling up with emotion when they presented it to me.

 

And this is a picture of Namada & I after she helped me put on this "junk sari". Apparently she thought it was too cheap and didn't fit me right.. sorry girl, I'm on a budget. Anyways, In that pic I'm looking like a true South Indian girl, rocking the flowers in the hair.

But, let it be known to the world that sari's are the biggest pain in the butt. You think they would be nice and cool considering that basically your entire mid drift is exposed, but my God those things are ridiculously hot. Not to mention, IMPOSSIBLE to walk in. Bonus points to Edward for dealing with me as I trudged along in the heat of the day in the red sari on our 2 km walk back to WIN.

Well this does not make up for the fact that I have left the last month of my life a complete mystery... sorry guys it will probably remain that way.
I will be taking a trip to Thailand next week and then will be left with 5 more days in India... so sad :(
However, I'll be gearing up for my next adventure... details to come soon!

Until then!

xoxo,
Becca

Agra: OMG, It's the Taj Mahal!

After spending two days in Delhi we hoped in the car and took a 6 hour road trip to Agra. Now, 6 hours in the car just sucks no matter what. But in my opinion in India with the bumpy roads, honking, stop & go traffic... it was a lot worse. I spent the last 3 hours of the trip in misery as I was having stomach issues and a fever. A trip to McDonalds rendered useless because I was unable to eat... (Now I am determined to find & eat at a Micky D's in Chennai). I spent the first day in Agra delusional in my bed missing out on a chance to see the Agra Fort. I'm sure it was great, but there was no way I was moving from my bed. The next day we departed from the hotel room at 6:20 am. I was a straight up mess, but I was not missing my chance to see the Taj Mahal.

What can I say about the Taj Mahal, it was beautiful but strangely overrated. I think I had it so hyped up in my mind that once I saw it I had that feeling that was like.... that was it?

For the history buffs:

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial to one of his many wives Mumtaz. Mumtaz is considered to be his most loved wife. She died while giving birth to the emperors 14th son... 14th! Anyways, the Taj Mahal consists of the main tomb, a mosque, a guest house, main gate, and gardens.

Interesting Facts:
* It took 22 years to build
* Over 1,000 elephants were employed to carry construction materials
* Depending on the time of day/ if there is a full moon the Taj appears to be different colors
* During the Indian Rebellion in 1857 many of the semi-precious stones were ripped off the walls of the Taj Mahal by the British.

I only know all of this because I did a presentation of the Taj Mahal 3 weeks ago to gear up for the trip.

As you can see, besides the fact that I was horribly sick, I managed to get some pretty good pictures. However, at one point I swear to God I was going to throw up all over the beautiful white marble. Those jumping pictures were not easy but they were so worth it! Also, as much as it sucked getting up so early I think that this is the best time to see the Taj Mahal. It was not crowded and the lighting was picture perfect.

Jumping for joy, finally made it!

View from the Taj looking out on the gardens

Onion dome

So peaceful, no crowds!

Intricate detail, it is verses from the Qur'an

xoxo,
Becca

Delhi: Old Places

WHEW. Last post on Delhi, I promise.

Jama Masjid

While in Delhi we went to Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. It can house 25,000 worshipers! Crazy, right? Anyways, the mosque was actually built by the same guy who built the Taj Mahal (Shah Jahan) and the place has a few cool relics including a copy of the Qur'an on deer skin. I wanted to see this put apparently it is locked up and hidden.. bummer. It definitely was an interesting visit and yet again we got to rock some modest clothing.  Anyways, the highlight of the visit was most likely taking awkward pictures with one woman's baby. Yeah, people will come up to you and beg for pictures with their children, babies especially. We were in a good mood so it wasn't a problem. I don't have the pictures but lets just say I was being ridiculous and the baby was unimpressed...

Qutub Minar

Check out that detail

On our last day in Delhi we visited Qutub Minar, a world heritage site. Surprisingly, this place is India's most visited monument... step aside Taj Mahal! The Minar was constructed in 1192 and is considered one of the greatest works of Mugal architecture. This monument is supposed to symbolize the power of Islam along with calling people to prayer to a nearby mosque. The giant pole in the picture = the Qutub Minar. The pole is inscribed with verses from the Qur'an and actually has some beautiful detail. Besides just a giant pole, the place is surrounded by nice gardens and buildings that are now ruins. There was also a tomb there, but I can't remember who it belonged to.... oh well.
 
Enough with the history, here are some pictures!

oOoOo look at how artistic I am.....

xoxo,
Becca

Delhi: Gandhi & Other Sites

After our visit to the Sikh temple we went to see Gandhi's memorial. It consisted of a nice open and peaceful garden with quotes from him in different languages. In the center was a flame and an alter of flowers.

 

Memorial

Tablets around the garden

We drove past the lotus temple, the mother temple of India. The temple is open to all regardless of religion. No sermons can be delivered and no music can be played inside, it is purely a place of meditation and spiritual reflection. To save time we decided not to go in and snap our pics from afar.

Unfortunately, the next day we were unable to do as much sight seeing due to some protests that were going on inside of the city. So, we spent the morning in the hotel room and then after things died down a bit we were able to make our way into the city.

The gate

Flags & flame under the gate

President's house

Our first stop was to the India Gate, a national monument. This gate is actually a war memorial dedicated to the soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their lives during World War I and those who lost their lives during the third Anglo-Afghan War. Under the giant arch there are three flags which are the flags of India's three armed forces. There is also a flame that never goes out which is India's equivalent of the tomb of the unknown soldier (or Amar Jawan Jyoti). In the distance from the gate you are able to see many of the political parties buildings along with the president's house. The gate and the space leading up to the president's house looks exactly like Washington D.C. National Mall just without the museums. Like I said before, it did not feel like India!

Gandhi's last steps

The platform Gandhi was walking to

Our last stop for the day was at the Gandhi Museum. The museum showcases his life and principals with lots of art, stories, and quotes. More interestingly, this is the actual place that Gandhi was assassinated. The state opened the museum shortly after Gandhi's death in 1948. There are foot prints that lead to the garden where Gandhi was assassinated and you can walk along the last path that Gandhi himself walked upon. They also showed the last of his earthly possessions along with the bullets that were used to kill him. Gandhi died while walking to a platform within this garden to address a prayer meeting. Upon dying, Gandhi's last words were "Oh God". I have to say it was definitely crazy to think that I have stood in the actual spot where such an influential man has died. Hopeful the visit will help me channel my inner-Gandhi to help promote peace locally, nationally, and globally.

Gandhi on his last walk to the garden

xoxo,
Becca

Delhi: Visit to a Sikh Temple

Entering the temple

 After spending 3 months in India it was finally time to take a trip up to the north. First stop: New Delhi, the Capital of India.

Delhi. What can I say about this place. It certainly did not feel like India. The people were fairer, the streets were cleaner, and the traffic was less congested and there was barely any honking. Were we still in India? It felt more like Washington D.C. to me, but once we moved out of New Delhi to the old city of Delhi that's when I snapped right back to the reality of this being India.

Serving lunch

Rolling out rotis

Our first stop in Delhi was to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, a very famous Sikh temple. The temple was built in 1783 and is associated with the eighth guru of the Sikhs. Within the Sikh religion you are not allowed to cut any of your hair and must cover your head for God. While in the temple we had to cover our heads and take off our shoes as a sign of respect. While visiting this place I learned so much about the Sikh religion. The Sikhs strongly believe in selfless service and equality. This was apparent by the fact that this temple opens its doors to anyone, regardless of race and religion, to eat a meal. This place serves 100,000 people a day and purely works on food donations and volunteers in the kitchen. The kitchen runs 20 hours a day! We had a chance to see the hall where people eat and take a look at the kitchen was being run. Volunteers were rolling out rotis to be eaten for lunch so we joined in on the action. It was quite the experience making these things being surrounded by other volunteers of all different ages, race, gender, and caste. The little boy next to me was a pro! I was definitely getting into the groove of rolling these puppies out, it was rather meditative and I was sad when it was time to go.

Holy water

When exiting the temple we got to see the holy water in which people were splashing on their faces, dipping their feet into, and one man was even bathing! There were soo many fish in it I don't know how people were comfortable with getting in there. Before this point I had only seen Hindu temples and Muslim mosques so I was happy to open my mind to a new religion and a new place of worship. If you are in Delhi I definitely recommend checking this place out!

xoxo,
Becca

Taking Blood, Taking Names

Sangita!

Last week Edward & I were pulled from our regular routine at the WIN foundation to help the local government school with blood testing. Apparently some girls from WIN organized a lab technician to come and record the kid's blood types for 10 rupees a child.... that is about 18 cents. The government does it for around 50 rupees a head so this was a good initiative to offer this at such an inexpensive rate. When I first heard blood testing I was thinking that I was going to basically be working at a blood drive, the thought of this made me squirm. Once I found out it was blood typing I was still picturing us giving injections and drawing blood from each kid. Nah, this is India, so why would we do things the way we do it in the US? Instead we did old school blood typing just the way I was taught in good ole anatomy lab. You take a child, prick their finger, squeeze the finger, and make 3 small dots of their blood on a tablet. Next you test each dot of blood with different liquids and mix to figure out the blood groups. After learning that I actually have done this before I really wanted to get in on the action and start pricking some fingers... I guess I really am an evil teacher. Lucky for the kids I just recorded the data instead.

Urani, literally squirming

I was amazed at how quick the whole process went and that entire school was able to be tested during the school day. I didn't know my blood group until before coming to India, why doesn't the US just test you when you are born? On top of that why did it take me over a week to get my lab results of what blood type I was? These kids were finding out in a minute flat. Most surprisingly to me there were soooo many kids that had the blood type O+ which I thought was supposed to be really rare. Seriously, almost the entire 5th grade had O+. I thought it was strange. Besides watching the kids squirm my favorite part of the day was trying to guess the blood type myself, based off the results, I was definitely letting my inner Anatomy nerd shine. Also, watching the kids get the results were hilarious. All of the B+ were high-fiving like they were apart of some exclusive club. My favorite reaction was from one of my favorite students Bos who started jumping up in the air with his fists pumping and his hips thrusting chanting "A-B-POS-I-TIVE" over and over again. Now I wish I had that on tape.

It is definitely days like these that make me so glad that I suffered through a year of Anatomy & Physiology. It feels so good to actually apply what I learned. I guess I owe a big thanks to Dr. Cecala & Bartlett for that one. Actually, more importantly I owe it to my lab partner Eileen and dear friend Megan who sat with me through the crazy study sessions when my sanity was out the window.

Recording the blood groups

Well that turned into an acceptance speech.

Anyways, sending my thoughts & love always.



<33

Becca

Indian Trail Blazers

On our way to Javadhu Hills!

This past weekend I decided to take a chance and head off for a trek with a group called Indian Trail Blazers which I found out about via Couch Surfing. Anyways, I honestly think I can say it has been the best experience I have had in India to date. So when in India I would encourage you to go trekking with this amazing group!

We met up on Saturday morning in Guindy train station at 5 am. I left Tambaram around 4:20 am... lets just say I was not a happy camper. Once the bus started rollin' I knew it was going to be a great trip based on the personalities. It seemed like everyone clicked so well before we even got half way to our destination. Also, considering how early it was I consider this quite the accomplishment of our group! By the way, we were heading to Javadhu Hills, an awesome mountain area in the northern part of Tamil Nadu.

The goats body

Upon our arrival we did a short trek to see some of the village life. We were surprised to pop out at a field where there was a mob of villagers cheering and chanting and conducting a ritual. As we got closer we saw one woman with a pot on her head who was supposed to represent a local God. The woman and a crowd of people were circling around a goat and a chicken until one man came up and chopped off the goats head. Talk about culture shock. Your talking to the girl who refuses to kill spiders... it was definitely a disturbing experience. Afterwards, the man started parading around the goats head because it was going to be used as an offering. At this point, at least 10 villagers started to go wild. By wild I mean these people were possessed. Several woman were convulsing on the ground and one man was standing looney-eyed as he was being whipped by another man. After this chaos started, we got out of there as quickly as possible. Still, something you don't see everyday and something that I don't think I will ever forget.
After that slightly scarring experience, we made our way to a different part of the village where we learned how to make chairs and got to interact with the village children.

Our swim spot

After our village experience, we managed to squeeze 15 people (not including the driver) into an auto rickshaw. I think my previous record was 13 and this trip easily took the cake. Not only were we smushed in and hanging off the sides, but we were driving on a very rocky and hilly trail. So, we were definitely off roading. People who have been in a rickshaw before know that being in one on normal road feels like off roading because of the crazy turns the drivers make and all of the bumps. This driver was no exception but since the auto was so crowded we had to get out multiple times to push it up the dirt hills. My god, this was an experience.

We took the auto to a beautiful (and clean!) dam where we could swim. Finally, after 2 months of oppressive heat swimming was just what I was craving. After taking a dip we enjoyed a very traditional and common meal of South India. It consisted of rice, sambar, rassam, and curd on a banana leaf. To make it all the better I did not pack any silverware so I was forced to do it like a real Tamilian girl. I ate like a Kindergartener but that is besides the point...

After swimming for the majority of the day we climbed back into the bus to make it to our camping destination. On the way we decided to stop and take some pictures of the lush scenery. Pictures will not do it justice. The whole time I was thinking of the saying "the grass is always greener on the other side" because here on the other side of the world the grass really is greener. Well certainly not in Chennai but Javadhu Hills... I'm in love.

After our photo opp we got back into the bus and rode for what must of been at least 45 minutes. It was pitch black but we were going up and up and up. Finally we got out and were in the middle of one village. We all broke into different groups where some would grab our camping materials, some would cook, and some would make torches. Of course I choose the torch group because my inner adventurer could not be tamed. We twisted and turned between straw huts in the dark of the night until we reached one house where we gathered our supplies. We were given sticks and cloths where we assembled the torches to be dipped into kerosene later. Afterwards, we brought them back to our meeting spot and lit those bad boys up. I was first in line for leading the way with the torch. Now, this was a dream come true for me. Consider the facts. #1. It was pitch black and we were surrounded in a nice tropical looking place.#2. We were trekking in what felt like the jungle. Lets be real, my mind was screaming Lost Island. This was probably the closest thing that I am ever going to get to it so I needed to jump on this opportunity to get in touch with my inner Kate. Unfortunately trusting me with the torch was bad for the rest of the group considering that I am very clumsy and about half way to our destination my torch went out.

Eating, it was so dark!

Sunrise :)

Anyways, We were making our way through the fields to find our camp site and all the sudden we started climbing up. At first they were little hills and then there were some real steep parts. Of course it was 10:30 at night and I was left torchless. Not to mention I was leading the pack high out of my thrill of the unknown. After climbing for sometime, we reached the top of a rocky mountain or hill or something. I was not quite sure where we were because it was so dark. It was windy, cold, and very rocky. These are all things I have yet to experience in India. We set up our tents and started our fire while some villagers climbed up to make us a wonderful chicken curry. By the time we finished eating it was past midnight. Debora (a girl from the Netherlands) and I decided that we did not want to sleep in the tent and that we were going to truly rough it for a night under the stairs. I had a sleeping bag and that was about it, so it was a little bit of a rough night but so worth it to fall asleep under the stars.

View from our camp site!

The best part of it all was waking up and seeing where our hike led us. It was so refreshing to see how beautiful this place was and not to mention the sunrise.

The rest of the day was spent in the village taking a tractor ride and dancing with woman. Not to mention eating phenomenal  food all prepared by the local villagers!

clearly enjoying my food

taking a tractor ride

dancing with the village woman

We finished the trip off with a visit to see a waterfall and dinner all together at a restaurant on the way back to Chennai. There are so many more details that I am missing from this trip but think I have provided a good synopsis. All in all it was beyond amazing, I can't wait for the next trek in October!

love my fellow trail blazers!

xoxo,
Becca